Story Twelve: Time to Spare
by SpelCastrMax
Summary: To try and save Agrabah, one of the companions travels through Aladdin's past.


STORY TWELVE: Time to Spare  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em and you know it.  
  
Wow! This took me a while to post. Sorry about that!  
  
Story 11 Celeste learns that the uncle and aunt she could barely remember were in fact Abis Mal and Selene the water Elemental in part of Mozenrath's plot to bring down Agrabah. With Aladdin killed, the future changes so Celeste goes back in time to fix it.  
  
Celeste opened her eyes. She was in the streets of Agrabah, tucked in the back of an alley where no one could have seen her sudden appearance. Everything was as it should be. There were people in the market going about their every day routines. Mozenrath obviously had yet to attack, but Celeste had no idea of how much time she had.  
  
She thought about how the people of the city had a tendency to panic. The girl checked her form in a mirror a man was selling. Her soaked clothing stuck to her skin, but all she could do was straighten her vest, pocket the remaining Time Stones, push her dripping hair from her face, and walk calmly towards the palace.  
  
An unfamiliar guard pulled her away from the palace gates when she attempted to enter. "Where do you think you're going?!" he barked loudly.  
  
"What are you new? I live in the palace. Where's Razoul? He should have filled you in on all that." Celeste tried once more to step passed the man, but he pushed her down.  
  
"Who's Razoul?" The man snarled at the confused girl who decided it would be best to find a different route inside.  
  
When she turned back to the streets of Agrabah she saw a woman carrying a toddler briskly walk into a broken down building. She was followed by a lean man with dark hair who wore an annoyed expression. There was a fleeting moment that Celeste thought the man was Aladdin, yet she knew he couldn't be by his slightly darker countenance. Something still made the girl follow the couple. She saw the man enter the disrepaired house, then crept to a window where she could hear without being seen.  
  
"Kalila," the man said to the woman in an unrelenting tone, "I am trying to explain this to you."  
  
"No Cassim!" the woman snapped, "You've been explaining it to me for a long time now and all I understand is that my our son is gone. Now you want to leave."  
  
At the familiar name and realization that she had gone too far into the past, Celeste snuck a peek into the house. Cassim was so young. No beard and his clothes were scraps of rags his poor wife had probably spent hours sewing together. Kalila, his wife, was quite lovely with sad, tired eyes and dark clothes. She had covered her hair with a dull gray shawl as if it were something to hide. The child in her arms was asleep.  
  
"If it will give us all a better life, then yes," Cassim argued, "Besides you agreed for me to take Hashim. He will learn where he is and lead a better life than he ever could here in Agrabah. You agreed, remember."  
  
Kalila set her child on a stack of dusty pillows as she continued. "I didn't think they would take him so soon. I will never see Hashim again. I won't take that chance with Aladdin."  
  
"I'm doing this for Aladdin and for you," Cassim pointed out his voice rising ever so slightly, "This is my opportunity. When I come back I'll take you to live in a palace bigger than the sultan's. Our son will not be just another Agrabah street rat begging in the market everyday."  
  
The woman's face was filled with conflict. Amongst all the emotions written there was hope; a piece of her wanted to believe her husband. However with a single glance at the sleeping toddler, sensibility and a sense of family won out. "Cassim, you go and find your treasures, but Aladdin and I are staying here. He will grow up to be something more than a common street rat and he'll do it all without your help." Kalila gently kissed the man on the cheek. "That's for luck. Now, I suggest you leave before the palace guards come looking for you again."  
  
Cassim wasn't sadden or even surprised by her answer. He didn't say anything. There was a grunt and a nod. He kissed his sleeping son's forehead and left their lives forever.  
  
After he had disappeared into the crowded streets, Celeste let the conversation register. She had never heard of Aladdin having a brother. Then again, Cassim was always touchy on the subject of when he left his family. She chose not to dwell on the topic. Instead, she took the second Time Stone from her pocket. Tightening her grip on it she tried to concentrate on an Agrabah in which Aladdin and Jasmine were together.  
  
The market faded in and out as if one had simply opened and closed their eyes. Celeste glanced about her wondering if she was in the right time. Now she was on a roof looking down at the people milling through the streets. "Doesn't the market ever change?" she grumbled as she searched for a familiar face.  
  
A body collided with her from behind and the girl hit the dirt. A young man apologetically picked her up. "Oh, sorry. Are you alright?"  
  
A hand reached out to help her up. Celeste wanted to toss her arms around the young man when she saw his face. "Kalil!" she squealed happily.  
  
The teenager offered her a confused smile. "Did you hit your head?"  
  
Celeste surveyed his clothing. White pants with a yellow patch over one knee, a purple vest, and a red fez balanced on his dirty black hair. Abu perched on his shoulder. Her eyes dropped and she thought she would cry. It was a young Aladdin. "You're not him," she stated sadly.  
  
With a caring face, he questioned, "Can I help you?"  
  
She shook her head. "I just miss my friends." She glanced at the young man expectantly. "Wait. Where's J..." She cut her question short with a gasp. "Oh no! She's not with you!"  
  
Aladdin, although confused, tried to be patient. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
Celeste glanced down into the market. She could see Jasmine in a brown cloak wandering through the streets, marveling at everything. The teenager realized that she had arrived on the day the two had met and unless she got out of Aladdin's way soon, he and Jasmine would never end up together! Aladdin would never become sultan? Almira and Kalil would never be born!  
  
How did their meeting go? Jasmine had told her the story at least a dozen times upon Mira's request. Aladdin had been stealing something when he noticed Jasmine. What had he been stealing?  
  
"Melons!" the girl blurted triumphantly.  
  
The street rat lowered his eyebrows at her. "Huh?" He then glanced at Abu who only shrugged.  
  
"I um...it's breakfast time," she stuttered.  
  
Abu's stomach responded with a growl. He whimpered and tugged on Aladdin's hair a little.  
  
"See, the monkey likes the idea," she pointed out, "May I suggest the melons at the fruit stand."  
  
Aladdin was a little suspicious, but thanked her and started to hop down to the canopy over the round vendor as he called out, "Try this. Your taste buds will dance and sing!"  
  
Celeste released a sigh and leaned over the roof to watch the events play out. Aladdin and Abu stole a single melon, splitting it between the two of them. She knew what was supposed to happen next - Jasmine would see a hungry child, help it, and nearly have her hand cut off.  
  
She watched for the robed figure of Jasmine. The princess had just backed into a fire breather, causing her hood to fall to her shoulders. Aladdin had his first glimpse of his future wife. Celeste heard him let out a low whisper and realized that the expression on his face was the same as one she had caught on Kalil's face when he looked at her for the one of the first times.  
  
"Maybe that's what I need to tell the time stone," she thought out loud, "If I think about Kal, I should end up in the right time period or at least really close to it." She took another glance at Aladdin and Jasmine. Jasmine was bowing on the ground before Abu who stood regally. Aladdin seemed to hold admiration for her participation in his unorthodox plan to rescue her.  
  
Aladdin took Jasmine by the shoulders and began to lead her away. "Come along sis, time to see the doctor."  
  
Jasmine, with wide, vacant eyes, halted before a camel. In the sweetest tone she possessed she said, "Why hello doctor. How are you?"  
  
The street rat held back a smirk and muttered to her, "No, no, no. Not that one."  
  
Jasmine gave him an innocent shrug as he called, "Come on, Sultan."  
  
Abu squeaked and bowed to his loyal "subjects", in the process spilling an abundance of stolen goods from his vest. Aladdin didn't even hesitate before grabbing Jasmine's hand and racing from the market.  
  
Celeste giggled at the scene, feeling better about being in the wrong time and almost jeopardizing the existence of her two close friends. She removed the final Time Stone from her pocket and concreted hard on the thought of Kal. That was the Agrabah she wanted - the one where Kal was already born.  
  
For the third time the Stone took affect. This time Celeste was within the palace walls, standing alone in the throne room. "Hello," she called, her voice bouncing off the high ceiling.  
  
Suddenly, Genie flew in. He turned into a short man in a white suit and began shouting, "The plane! The plane!"  
  
Celeste laughed out loud, happy to be back. She ran to hug Genie, but was interrupted by a toy plane buzzing into the room. Abu was in the cockpit, squealing loudly that he wanted out.  
  
Genie, changing into a large remote control, told him, "Don't worry, Monkey man! I'll land you!"  
  
Iago flew in, but the plane rotated direction and began to chase him down. He moved his tail feathers just out of the propeller's reach, shouting, "Hey! I didn't ask for a shave!" The spinning blades caught up and left a hold in the feathers on his back side, then altered its path once again. Abu began to laugh as Iago tried to hide the bare skin. "Oh! Laugh it up flea bag. I'm not the one about to hit a pillar!" the parrot told him.  
  
The toy had begun to head for the stone mass. Genie moved one the toggles and the plane started to dip nose first towards the floor. "Uh oh," the blue man panicked when he continued to move switches and the plane didn't respond, "Bail out, Abu!"  
  
The monkey jumped from the plane before it crashed. He landed on a cushion and heaved a sigh of relief. With the excitement over Celeste noticed a high pitched giggle coming from the throne. Sitting up and clapping his hands was a baby, not even old enough to crawl.  
  
Iago scowled. "Yeah. Laugh it up kid!" Genie, back in his normal form, zapped Iago and his tail feathers reappeared. The parrot grumbled to the baby, "I hope you appreciate what we go through to keep you happy, Kal."  
  
The baby just kept smiling. Celeste's face turned green. "Oh no. I'm still too far back! How could I have been so dumb?" she groaned sitting on the steps leading to the throne. She rested her brow against her palm, "My head hurts."  
  
Genie rubbed his chin. "Where did you come from?"  
  
Celeste didn't lift her head. Muttering into her hand, she told him, "That's a good question."  
  
Aladdin and Jasmine entered. He had his arm was around her waist and she was smiling. "What's going on in here?" Al questioned, "Do you work here?"  
  
"No. I live here," the girl moaned, "At least I will someday."  
  
The baby prince had leaned down, his tiny hands falling upon Celeste's hair. He cooed a little and giggled again.  
  
Jasmine commented, "Kalil doesn't usually let strangers so close to him."  
  
Celeste's eyes were now cast upon the useless time stone in her hands. "I'm flattered, but truthfully I wish your son was about your husband's height with a full head of hair." Her shoulders shuddered as she held back tears. "I just wanted to go home," she choked.  
  
Jasmine sympathetically sat beside the girl. Aladdin also came to her side but remained standing. "Maybe we can help. What's the problem?"  
  
"The problem is that I keep talking without thinking! If I had just reworded myself I probably would having a nice little family reunion right now."  
  
"Who's your family?"  
  
"You are."  
  
"What?!" Aladdin's voice cracked with surprise, which made Celeste smile ever so slightly.  
  
"I'm from the future where I live here in the palace with all of you." She turned and set the infant Kal on the floor where he could stop drooling on her. "I'm his friend." She paused, her voice changing from depressed to angry, "And I just realized something this afternoon and I'll never be able to tell him! Of course, now that I've told you all any of this I've most likely changed the course of history. So, if I ever do get home the palace'll be steamed cleaned by Mekanikales or something strange like that."  
  
Genie leaned close to Celeste dressed as Sigmund Freud. "Ah yes! And vin did you begeen to have zees deluzions."  
  
"They aren't delusions, Genie," she told him holding out the rock in her hand.  
  
He gasped, "A Time Stone of Iretant! Where did you get that?"  
  
"You gave it to me."  
  
"I think she's telling the truth, Al," Genie concluded as he examined the stone.  
  
Iago flew onto the girl's shoulder, turning on the snake oil charm. "So, what's in the future for me? Hmmm. Let me guess, coins, rubies, emeralds, material possessions...."  
  
"Try the impending doom of Agrabah," Celeste responded darkly.  
  
Everyone's eyes widened. "What?" a couple of them gasped. Kal continued to roll happily on the floor.  
  
"That's what I'm trying to get home to warn everyone about. Mozenrath kidnaped me and when you leave to rescue me, he attacks and the city falls."  
  
"Oh great," Iago growled.  
  
"The last time we saw Mozenrath his body was dying and he tried to take over Aladdin," Jasmine told Celeste, remembering the day.  
  
"He's dead in my time, but that doesn't seem to stop him."  
  
Abu started squealing loudly, pointing to the balcony. Everyone looked just in time to see a wave of black sand creeping away with baby Kalil. Aladdin shouted, "No! Carpet!"  
  
Carpet soared into the room. Al, Jasmine, and Abu all hopped on. "Follow the sand," the sultan ordered.  
  
Celeste chased after them, ready to help; feeling her panic rising. If the baby version of Kalil was killed, she'd never know him in the future...assuming she ever made it home again.  
  
A hand reached out from behind the throne and grabbed her arm, preventing her from following the others. "Let go of me," she screamed.  
  
The owner of the hand came out of hiding. "Celeste, calm down. It's just me." The prince of Agrabah smiled up at her.  
  
"Kal!" she nearly screamed as she leapt at him after a second of inspection to make sure it really was him this time. Her arms strangled his neck in a tight embrace.  
  
"Whoa," he laughed, "Miss me?"  
  
"How did you get here?" she asked with a smile across her face not caring that her wet clothes were sticking to him.  
  
Kalil pulled Celeste off, but held onto her hands. "Well, this memory of a strange girl claiming to be from the future suddenly came to my parents. So, Genie stole me a couple of Time Stones and I came to get you."  
  
"But what about the baby you? He was just kidnapped; shouldn't we help."  
  
"My parents told me all about it. Mozenrath tried to take my body when I was a baby, but they saved me and killed him in the process."  
  
"A lot of good it did. He's still our number one problem."  
  
Kal held out the Time Stone in his hand. "Will you stop complaining? Let's get out of here."  
  
He squeezed the stone, the red flecks embedded in it glowed. It was a blink of an eye later and they were back in their own time. Everyone was waiting in the throne room.  
  
Exactly as Celeste had predicted, there was a reunion and even Iago didn't hide his happiness in seeing her.  
  
"What about Mozenrath? Has he attacked yet?" Celeste wanted to know.  
  
Aladdin shook his head. "There hasn't been a sign of him."  
  
Genie became a secret service agent in a black suit and a radio in his ear. "We're on the lookout, ma'am."  
  
Mira hadn't left her best friend's side since her return. "What about your aunt and uncle? Were they sad to see you leave again?"  
  
Celeste's head dropped. "Not really. They weren't real. It was Abis Mal and Selene in disguise; part of Mozenrath's plan. I don't think I ever really had an aunt and uncle. Maybe they were all just memories Mozenrath planted in my head."  
  
"I'm so sorry," Jasmine sincerely told her, but noted that the girl was not upset. She was pulling at her still damp clothing. "You should go change before you catch cold, Celeste."  
  
The girl nodded. Before she could reach her room, Kal chased after her. "Hey, what was that something you realized that you were afraid you could never have the chance to tell me?"  
  
Celeste pretended not to understand. "I never said anything like that."  
  
"Yes you did."  
  
"No I did not."  
  
"I was right behind that throne. I heard you."  
  
"Then maybe you should get your ears cleaned because I never said anything of the kind."  
  
"What happened to us being honest with each other?"  
  
"I don't know. What?"  
  
Aladdin, Jasmine, and the others could hear the pair arguing. All they could do was laugh.  
  
__________________  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I haven't written anything in a while and a review (even a bad one) would be nice. Thanks.  
  
WATCH FOR STORY 13: The Great Sinbad the Sailor  
  
While Aladdin prepares for Mozenrath's attack, the famous captain comes to Agrabah searching for his most precious treasure. 


End file.
